Geometric Mage: First Spell, Circle

Lian stared at the building before him with sparkling eyes. He could not believe his eyes. "It is… stunning!"

He had no other words to describe what he was seeing.

The building was none other than a villa, a two-story gem made of polished white stone. The arched windows were illuminated by hand lamps glowing with a faint blue light.

The sloped roof was covered with glossy black tiles, and a small front garden hosted plants and small trees that swayed gently even without wind.

It was… perfect. Perhaps too perfect.

Lian stood with his mouth agape, the lock of hair slipping over his eyes as he tried to take in the scene. "Holy crap, is this mine?" he murmured, almost in disbelief. "This is not a house; it is a damn villa!"

Corvan chuckled, crossing his arms. "Exactly, kid. It is one of the few independent villas near the Silver area," he said with a satisfied smile, as if he were passing down his inheritance to his son.

"Usually, students here share those four-unit houses," he said, pointing to a series of larger, blocky buildings nearby.

They looked more like luxury condominiums than actual houses.

"Can I really live in it? And what about the Silver Mages who will see a Bronze like me? Will they not be angry? And can I bring someone to live here with me?"

One question after another reached Corvan, who laughed lightly. "Of course, it is obvious that the other students here will be angry with you. Many of them will want nothing more than to beat you to a pulp."

His words left a mark on the poor boy's heart and mind, who shuddered at the thought.

"But do not worry, they will not beat you too badly. If you make yourself likable, maybe they will not beat you at all," he added, giving him a light pat on the shoulder, light as an iron block.

Corvan opened the garden gate. "Come, I will show you the inside," he said, heading toward the main door.

Lian followed the man closely. Standing out there made him feel uneasy. Damn, I feel watched… too watched, he thought, casting furtive glances around.

Entering, Lian felt almost overwhelmed.

The interior was spacious, with a ground-floor living room lit by large windows, smooth stone floors etched with reinforcement runes, and a spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

There was even a small workshop in the back, a room isolated from the others, with reinforced walls, floor, and door, featuring a metal table perfect for blowing things up—or rather, crafting his artifacts.

"Holy cow," he murmured again, spinning around. "This place is… incredible."

Corvan continued showing Lian the villa, and they finally reached the best part of the entire building.

The bathroom.

It was enormous, with smooth marble walls, a huge shower ending in a massive tub.

After exploring the area a bit longer, Corvan bid Lian farewell. "Well, that is all. The villa is officially yours; try not to destroy anything—it is all very expensive here," he said as he walked toward the exit.

"Oh, one last thing," he added, turning to Lian with an undisguised sly smile.

Here it comes, the catch! Lian thought, stiffening.

"Of course, this villa is yours, but that does not mean you will not have to pay anything. Let us say you are renting it, but do not worry," he said, turning to show his back to Lian. "The rent is not too expensive, only 20,000 gold coins a week, a trivial price for a Rune Master like you, am I right?"

The sound of Master Corvan's footsteps echoed in Lian's mind.

His thoughts halted, all energy drained from his body. An immense sense of loss enveloped him. "Damn it…"

Maybe I should abandon it? A fleeting thought crossed his mind, but resolve wrapped around his body like fire.

"No, he is right." He used his fingers to do some quick calculations. "Just yesterday, I potentially earned a total of 6,400 gold coins… actually, Master Corvan is right. It takes nothing to earn that amount!"

A reassuring smile filled his face as he explored the residence on his own.

"Corvan told me there are special places I need to explore alone… tsk, so mysterious," he muttered as he headed downstairs.

After descending the stairs, a wooden door with intricate patterns appeared before him.

"Well, that is definitely mysterious…"

Reaching out, Lian pushed the door, which opened with a slight creak.

The room beyond the threshold was unlike anything he had seen in the villa: a wide circular hall with gray stone walls etched with pulsing runes emitting a strong blue glow.

In the center, crystals were arranged in a peculiar formation that Lian had seen somewhere before. "Is that not the academy's symbol? The eight-pointed star?"

Eight glowing crystals were positioned in an octagonal formation. At its center, on the floor, were symbols that seemed drawn in chalk.

"What the hell is this supposed to be—" he murmured in disbelief.

Looking around, Lian noticed a book placed on a pedestal.

Not knowing what else to do, he approached the book, his steps slow and controlled.

The Fundamentals of the Formations

Lian read the title, tilting his head slightly. "What the hell does that mean? What are formations?" he murmured as he opened the book.

A flood of information assaulted his mind.

"Formation of the Eight Trigrams…" He began reading about this formation, and the more he read, the worse his headache grew.

"This formation concerns the accumulation of ambient mana in an area of interest…" Lian continued reading, but the words seemed to dance before his eyes, each sentence heavy with a weight that made his temples throb.

"Damn, why is reading this so complicated…" he muttered, rubbing his forehead and closing the book for a moment, trying to breathe and regain his rhythm.

He reopened the book, flipping through the yellowed pages. "The Formation of the Eight Trigrams… amplifies the flow of ambient mana, accelerating meditation and absorption… grants enlightenment on higher-level spells, magical formulas…"

Lian's eyes widened. "So that is why this villa costs so much?"

"And how am I supposed to activate it?" he murmured, continuing to read but finding nothing about it. "Tch, of course, I have to figure it out myself."